The present invention is directed to a novel article of manufacture made from natural fruits and a process for its manufacture. More particularly, a novel, readily reconstitutable, free flowing flaked product is produced by a novel and synergistic dehydration drying process.
The product of this invention is natural dried fruit flakes which are free from extenders, binders, and other additives heretofore thought to be required in producing same when utilizing a continuous dehydration process.
This invention also has application to the production of other products and processes into which the dried fruit product hereof and the process for making same may be incorporated, such as fruit flavored cereals and the like.
When referring to the flaked product of the present invention, it will be recognized that the term "flakes" encompasses a free flowing solid material having an exceptionally low moisture content which can readily be spooned from a jar or other container, is not prone to lumping in a sealed container, and readily becomes free flowing with agitation or stirring even after the container is initially opened to atmosphere. No specific particle size is implied by the term "flake", however, the process of this invention permits flakes to have a large particle size without sacrificing the foregoing properties. The term "reconstitutable" as used herein relates to mixing the flaked fruit product with a liquid of various temperatures ranging from hot to cold, including various liquids such as, e.g., milk or water, to form a reconstituted product. The term "readily reconstitutable" is meant to include a virtually instantaneously reconstitutable product of varying viscosities, as desired; additionally, one in which the viscosity may be adjusted even after the product has been initially reconstituted.
Fresh fruit products such as applesauce and the like typically contain large percentages of water. This high water content places a heavy burden on the packaging, handling, storing and shipping of such products and has thus stimulated the development of many processes for the dehydration of fruit products. These processes, however, have not as yet satisfied the need for a natural dried fruit product since the present state of the art indicates that natural fruit concentrates and purees cannot be commercially dried in a continuous manner to form a readily reconstitable free flowing flaked fruit product which is free from unwanted additives.
The conventional manner of forming a flaked product is to drum dry a concentrate into a continuous sheet which is then flaked. The present state of the art requires, however, the addition to the concentrate of extenders, binders, gels, gums, and other additives to achieve the formation and removal of a continuous sheet of product from the drum dryer. One of the inherent disadvantages of such processes is that the additives remain in the final product and therefore, the product is undesirable as a natural food. For example, the additives are in most cases either inorganic substances, or carbohydrates or proteinaceous materials, which deleteriously affect the reconstitution properties of the product, or dilute the product's flavor, desired nutritional value, consummer acceptability, or the like. Moreover, many of the prior art processes, while claiming to produce a satisfactory product, generally treat the puree in such a manner which destroys the cellular structure of the natural fruit, either mechanically, thermally or chemically, and thus does not retain the naturally occurring constituents or integrity of the fruit. It will be understood that the term "extenders" as used herein encompasses any additive made to the puree for purposes of forming a sheet on a dryer, releasing the puree from the surface of a dryer, or otherwise permitting the natural fruit puree to be continuously drum dried and may, for example, include binders, gels, gums, polysaccharides, and extenders as may be known and utilized in this art.
The prior art processes therefore do not produce a natural fruit product, which reconstitutes to a fresh fruit food which does not have added starches, saccharides, binders, extenders, or other additives, while at the same time preserving the natural constituents of the fruit and therefore its nutritional value, taste, and the like.